Customer Reviews

Vegetarian Express : Easy, Tasty, and Healthy Menus in 28 Minutes(or Less!)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is absolutely the best Vegitarian cookbook that my wife and I have encountered. Not because the recipes are the most elaborate and mind-blowing that we've encountered, but primarily because they're not. The meals are all tasty enough to please my "meat and fried food" parents, the ingredients are available at the local grocery store (no trips to Zimbabwe to get some obscure plant), and they all take a very short amount of time to prepare. These are the primary problems that we've encountered with books like Moosewood; the ingredients are exotic at best, they take hours to prepare, and they taste extremely bland. Every recipe that we've tried from this book during the year-and-a-half that we've had it has been very pleasing, very flavorful, and the standard ingredients are those that we can expect to have around at any given time.

I've been cooking vegetarian for four years. This is the first book that is truly EASY and, so far, the recipes I made have been really tasty. This is great for families and people with small kids who want nutritious meals FAST. I have a two-year-old and I can prepare an entire dinner while she watches a 30 minute video. The recipes have even been "approved" and enjoyed by my non-vegetarian husband, which is more than I can say for any of the complicated ones I labored over from my Vegetarian Times magazine. Another plus of this book is that all of the ingredients are not obscure and can be readily found at mainstream grocery stores. The "Penne with Broccoli and Garlic" and the "Mexican Lasagne" are our favorites. Buy this book to please yourself, your kids and even some meat-eaters. Happy cooking.

A wonderful mix of tastes and menus in this easy to follow book. I've used this book almost exclusively for a couple of years now and we've never gotten bored. Sometimes I just grab this book on the way to the grocery store and use the shopping list provided for each menu I want. The cooking strategy is the best thing I've seen, I can always have an entire dinner ready in 30 min because the planning is already done!

I bought this cookbook based on the reviews I read here. While I love some of the ideas these recipes generate, I find that most of the recipes lack flavor. I understand that they were made with children in mind but I even have to add spice to suit my 18 month old's tastes. With this in mind, it might have been helpful if the authors had added notes on complementary spices that would punch the recipes up a bit.

I have at least 20 vegetarian cookbooks and this is the one I have used most. I love that the recipes include a full meal plan - main dish and side dishes, as well as suggestions like serve with bread, green salad, baked potatoes, etc. It takes a lot of thinking out of meal planning. My family has enjoyed 80% to 90% of the meals I have prepared from this book and most of them take under 30 minutes to prepare. I highly recommend this cookbook. I wish Nava Atlas would write another one like this one.

There is just no excuse to not cook a wholesome meal when you have recipes and instructions and easy as this. Every recipe is set up in a menu, with side dish, salad, or appetizer, etc. Then there is a strategy written out for you. Steps to tell you when to start cooking the pasta, when to assemble the salad, etc. On the left, there is your shopping list of ingredients and pantry staples that you will need. This is just about fool proof. It is almost impossible to NOT make this meal within the 30 minutes given. The recipes are simple, yet pleasing. My parents, and meat-eating husband approved. Peanut Butter Spirals, Cinnamon Apple Glazed Baby Carrots, sliced cucumbers. Yum. How about Fettuccine in Green Chili Corn Sauce, Deviled Tomatoes, Tortilla Chips, and Carrot Sticks. And we even have a few exotic ingredients for those that like a little more gourmet: Quinoa Pilaf with Peas and Almonds, Quick Braised Fennel, Tossed Salad with Pinto Beans and Jicama. YUM. Even my exotic food fearing mother liked that one (Quinoa is the super grain, so good for you). If you don't get the recipe done in the 30 alotted minutes, then you WILL the next time you make it and are more familiar with the recipe. A couple took me 40 minutes the first time around. A great book for young, busy, or beginning cooks. Especially great for moms. If you are trying to avoid dairy, most recipes can easily be adjusted with substitutes.

The recipes are all simple, and the menus sound great. The ingredients are easy to find, and the instructions are simple. I love that they include grocery lists- that is very helpful.

So, what's wrong?

The food just isn't delicious! I have not made one recipe from this book that is good enough to make a second time. And, given how simple they are, that says a lot! The food isn't awful, but I can make better without the recipes.

I really wanted to like this- I need a simple cookbook that takes the work out of cooking/meal planning with recipes that please my family. This just wasn't it.

My husband and I are long-time vegetarians and we both love this book! The text is well-organized and a pleasure to use when hurrying out to the grocery store. The recipes are generally quite easy to make and they really do keep to 28-minute meals! Almost all of the recipes we've tried have been delicious (some just weren't right for our particular tastes) and I feel like we've uncovered a treasure of beautiful and simple-to-make delights. I love making new recipes these days...and my husband loves eating them!!!

What a relief! Finally a cookbook which offers some quick great tasting recipies plus the added kicker of a shopping list. The authors have very cleverly set-up the recipies to tell you what is needed from your pantry supplies and then what you need from the store (usually the perishables). After you stock up on the recommended basic pantry supplies all you need to do is pick up a few items from the store. When I come home from work I can't think anymore and it was always a struggle for me to think of a fast, nutritious, vegetarian meal. Since I aquired this cookbook, I just ask the kids to choose a meal and then I get the few things I need from the store. Sometimes I have everything on hand. Most other quick meal cookbooks focus on the short preparation time of the meal but I think the added bonus of having what you need at hand is also a time saver. Nava Atlas & Lillian Kayte did a geat job organizing the meals, the recipies are healthy, and they do take 28 minutes!

This book is great for anyone who needs to get food on the table quick and without alot of thought. i used to have time to cook until i had kids. this book lets you plan ahead and use your time (cooking) wisely. This book has definitely made my life easier-really!